CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Officials with Lowcountry AIDS Services say they administered 39 HIV-positive tests last year, which was nearly twice as many as the group administered in 2014.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that the state health department says community-based organizations across South Carolina identified 118 new HIV cases in 2015. One-third of those HIV-positive patients live in Charleston, Dorchester or Berkeley counties.

Lowcountry AIDS Services executive director Bradley Childs says the statistic is shocking. He says it’s also illustrative of the importance of the group’s work.

In South Carolina, more than 8,000 people are living with AIDS and more than 16,000 people have been diagnosed with HIV, the virus that may lead to AIDS.